Yesterday the General Assembly convened in Annapolis for the 2018 Session. Maryland operates with a “Citizen Legislature”. Senators and Delegates work in various fields during the year, but assemble for 90 days for their Districts in Annapolis. Throughout the Session I'll be doing my best to keep you up to date on what's happening and, of course, I want to hear from you about ideas to improve our state. You can always reach me with your thoughts directly at SenatorReady@gmail.com.

Thank You for Your Support!

My team and I emailed you over the past week asking for help to hit our fundraising goal of $1,800. I'm so thankful to everyone who donated - we actually blew past that and raised nearly $2,500 with a bunch of last minute contributions. It puts us in a strong position as we head into the 2018 Session and closer to the June 26th Republican primary.

District Night 2018:

This year we will be hosting our second District Night in Annapolis. Last year we had a great turnout, and Governor Hogan even stopped by for a visit! Please come out on Monday, February 19, from 5:30 to 7:30pm. The District 5 Delegation will be there to discuss the Session and to enjoy great Carroll County BBQ. For more information please feel free to reach out to my office at 410-841-3683 or Justin.Ready@senate.state.md.us I hope you can make it!

Hogan Announces Good Government Initiative

Over the past three years I have been working hard with Governor Hogan to break up the Annapolis Establishment and root out Government corruption. Last year we enacted the Public Integrity Act of 2017 which was the most important and transformative ethics reform legislation in decades.

This year Governor Hogan will be introducing a series of legislative initiatives to improve Government accountability and transparency. This legislative package would establish term limits for members of the General Assembly and require all sessions and hearings to be livestreamed.

Senator Ready on the Senate Floor on Opening Day

Veteran Services in Carroll County

You are invited to a Provider Forum for Veteran Services in Carroll County to be held Friday, January 26, 2018 in Room K100 at Carroll Community College. A Continental Breakfast will be available starting at 8:30am with the forum beginning at 9am and ending at 12pm.

Hogan Announces Tax Relief Plan:

As you might have seen in the news before Christmas, Congress passed and President Trump signed the first tax reform plan in over 25 years. 8 out of 10 Americans will experience tax relief. Job Creators will also receive substantial tax benefits to hire more employees, raise employee wages, and increase economic production. I'm excited about the progress being made but there are a couple of challenges that specifically effect Maryland.

The State and Local Income Tax deduction is capped at $10,000. In a high tax state like Maryland, this could be a detriment to many taxpayers. Governor Hogan - who I've joined in pushing for tax relief for the last three years - wants to provide some solutions.

Before the New Year, Governor Hogan announced the following:

“Our administration will submit legislation that will protect our taxpayers, and which will mitigate negative impacts of these changes to state taxes. Our goal will be to leave that money in the pockets of hardworking Marylanders. I am confident that our partners in the General Assembly who have expressed concern over the impact of this tax reform bill will support us unanimously in protecting Marylanders who could be negatively affected.”

Tax Relief should be a bipartisan issue but for too long, the Democrat establishment in Annapolis has treated taxpayers like a personal piggy-bank. Governor Hogan has changed that dynamic. I applaud the Governor for acting to protect taxpayers.

Last week BGE filed with the Maryland Public Service Commission to pass around $82 in million tax savings to customers. This is in response to the recent Federal Tax Reform Legislation that President Trump signed into law in December. If this is approved by the PSC, the average BGE residential electric customer can expect to see an estimated $2.31 decrease on their monthly bill.

I consider it a great honor and responsibility to serve you in Annapolis and welcome your thoughts and opinions. Please feel free to contact me or my staff with any questions, or concerns that you have.